


The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions

by ferric



Category: Hikaru no Go
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-09
Updated: 2016-09-09
Packaged: 2018-08-14 03:15:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7996546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ferric/pseuds/ferric
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Touya Akira played a game against Death for Shindou Hikaru. Inspired by the Sai and white owl extra from the manga.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions

_If a white owl appears when a person dies, that person's soul will wander this world for a thousand years._

"A white owl came to me this morning," said Touya, placing down the black stone with an intensity that vibrated the placid air.

The stone made no sound when it came into contact with the board.

These stones were dead. This board was dead. No game could bring out the life in them anymore.

There was the soft sound of a river at a distance, water lapping across lifeless stones under the fading twilight. A calm but crisp smell of approaching autumn lingered in the wind. Scarlet leaves rained all around him, landing soundlessly on the goban, on the game that Touya Akira refused to lose.

Across from him, beautiful in pure white and long sleek black hair, was Death. The crimson leaves that landed on his shoulders looked like blood.

"You think that you will win against death?" The voice sounded amused. An unnaturally pale hand placed a white stone on the board, and Touya clenched his hands tightly in his lap, heart racing at Death's timely attack.

"I won't lose," Touya said determinately, going for an opening on the left. He couldn't afford to lose.

The black stone made no noise as it hit the board.

Then, because he wasn't going to be afraid, Touya asked. "Does Death have a name?"

His opponent paused in his track, flickering his eyes from the board to meet Touya's. He flipped his fan open, covering the lower half of his face.

Touya wondered if his opponent was silently laughing at him. The eyes that bore into his were old. Ancient. Eyes that spoke of decades of suffering and silence.

Touya jumped when Death snapped his fan shut with one movement, the sound seemed to echo throughout this hollow world, wherever they were.

Another white stone.

"Fujiwara-no-Sai."

Sai, Touya thought to himself. So Death did have a name after all. How unexpectedly human.

"I won't lose, Fujiwara-no-Sai," said Touya. "I won't let you take him."

A white owl came to Akira this morning. A white owl with Shindou's eyes.

"You think that you'll win against death." His opponent did not bother to hide his smile this time.

"I know I will," said Touya determinately, slapping another black stone on the board. This time, however, the stone vibrated to life with a resounding _Pa-Chi_.

The board became alive under his hand.

Across from him, Death—no, Sai—narrowed his eyes in challenge.

Touya knew that he could do it. He could win.

Up above, a white owl flew across the sky, casting a fleeting shadow on the goban.

Touya will win.

Because the alternative would be unacceptable.

_I'm coming to bring you back, Shindou._

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this a long time ago. Uploading here so I could archive everything I've written. It is a prologue to a longer fic I haven't finished. I'm trying to hunt down the Sai and the white owl manga extra again because I want to finish writing that fic. If anyone knows where I can find it, please let me know!


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